James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

In the back of every artist’s closet is a stack of failed efforts, the paintings that just didn’t work out for one reason or another. I’ve got my share of clunkers. But an artist should not bequeath too many bad paintings to posterity.

Your reputation rests on your overall average. If you have a lot duds floating around after you’re gone, your grandchildren will be in a tough spot. They won’t want to get rid of your bozos, so you should now.

That’s why, with the help of my teenage son Franklin, I invented the “Gallery Flambeau.” This solar-powered, environmentally friendly device uses a 4-foot wide array of parabolically positioned, laser-mounted mirrors to magnify the power of the sun over 300 times. Displayed under its unforgiving glare, a painting magically transforms into a cloud of smoke and a shower of ash. Gone forever. Press delete. Your Artistic Average goes up a tiny notch.

Remember, kids, don't play with fire, and protect your eyes from the intense brightness of the hotspot by always wearing the approved Mongolian Mountaineering Safety Goggles.

WARNING:The breathing of artistic smoke may bring unexpected sied-effects such as: - dizziness. - mild irritation of nasal membrane. - use of exotic eyewear.Do it at your own peril.

And that's why my favourite art-disposal method include a portable cremation oven, a small single-engine aircraft and thirty-two kilograms of high-explosives. I get so many duds when drawing before I manage to come up with a good picture, everything else must go with a bang! =P

In all seriousness now:

Some of the pictures laying on the ground look pretty good from the angle we were seeing them. I'll keep trying, one day I'll be able to afford such high standards. =)

My mother (www.janenegrende.com) has chopped hers up and put them in the woodstove and recently confessed to running one piece over with the truck before said conflagration! It almost makes me want to come up with a real dog, just to get rid of it! Love your device, though and will be forwarding your blog to her! --LaRinda

You are so right...an acquaintance died a couple years ago...he was prolific and a pack rat and his poor widow is trying to move on with her life carrying the emotional weight of several thousand heavy oil paintings she does not know what to do with. Tragic!